A Little Unsteady

The poem My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke has violent imagery such as “The whiskey on your breath” and “The hand was battered on one knuckle,” makes me think we are supposed to fear Papa. He is probably having a hard time dealing with life so he drinks lots of whiskey, which makes his breath stink. Then there is this other side of him that we see at the end of the poem. The author references how even though his Papa is a drunk disapproved by the mother, he still clings onto him. There must be a better side of Papa that the author cannot let go of, which conveys a more positive view. Their relationship is definitely complicated due to the “waltzing” back and forth between the two, most likely the fathers alcoholic side and his sober side. In the speaker’s eyes, the mother is also kind of like the “bad guy” because the only thing he said about her was “My mother’s countenance, Could not unfrown itself,” so she is negatively portrayed as a woman who is frowning and she doesn't really say or do anything to help the boy. The poem’s rhythm and rhyme has the effect of making the words more powerful, beautiful, and dark.